Hyperhidrosis is a medical condition characterized by abnormally increased perspiration, in excess of that required for regulation of body temperature. Hyperhidrosis can either be generalized or localized to specific parts of the body. The face, underarms, palms, soles, areas under the breasts, cleavage and groin areas are most commonly affected. Sweaty hands due to anxiety from dates, job interviews and other unexpected or stressful situations may be embarrassing. In addition, sweat marks and stains under arms and breasts and around the inner thighs can be embarrassing. Hyperhidrosis can have severe physiological consequences such as cold and clammy hands, dehydration, and skin infections secondary to maceration of the skin. Hyperhidrosis can also have devastating emotional effects on one's individual life. Affected people are constantly aware of their condition and try to modify their lifestyle to accommodate this problem. This can be disabling in professional, academic and social life, causing daily embarrassments.
There are many different over-the-counter and prescription products available to treat hyperhidrosis. Some of these products use aluminum chloride which is typically used in regular antiperspirants. However, effectively treating hyperhidrosis requires solutions with high concentrations of aluminum chloride for which irritation is a common side effect. Most prescription drugs known to reduce hyperhidrosis, such as, for example, oxybutynin and glycopyrrolate, have side effects that can include drowsiness, visual symptoms and dryness in the mouth and other mucus membranes. Another type of treatment is injecting botulinum toxin type A which disables sweat glands by blocking the release of the neurotransmitter from the nerve endings that causes the glands to produce sweat. However, this treatment requires needles and medical monitoring and usually lasts from four to nine months. There is also an elective surgery called endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy (ETS) currently available to treat hyperhidrosis. The most common secondary effect of ETS is compensatory sweating. In addition, sometimes the original problem returns after six months due to nerve regeneration. A process called iontophoresis is a procedure that typically uses water to conduct an electric current to the skin that combats production of sweat. A device is used to apply the current for ten to twenty minutes per session, initially with two to three sessions per week followed by a maintenance program of treatments at one to three week intervals, depending upon the user's response.
Therefore, it would be beneficial to have a topical treatment that contains an effective amount of medication to prevent excessive sweating despite being inactive. It would also be beneficial to have a treatment for hyperhidrosis that alleviates the need for cumbersome or time-consuming anti-sweating devices, ineffective topical prescriptions, costly and painful injections and/or invasive surgery. It would be further beneficial to have a topical treatment for the treatment of hyperhidrosis that has little to no harmful side effects.
Sweating caused by hyperhidrosis or by excessive sweat due to the heat and humidity of the environment can cause make-up to be removed from the skin or “melt” away. Therefore, it would be beneficial to have a topical treatment that aids in maintaining make-up for people that excessively sweat or for anyone with sweats caused by hot and humid days.